Let's Talk About Words

"...true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."                                                             -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross    My interpretation of this quote would be once again referring to a person's soul . I believe that we are all powerful souls that take the form of a human body to learn and experience life. While we are living our life here on Earth, we encounter different situations and circumstances. It is quite easy to be happy and positive when we are confronted with pleasant or joyful people and experiences. What about difficult ones like illness, abuse, or even just a mean person? Can we keep our inner light , or our soul , shining brightly or does it waver and dim? My light definitely weakens  since I often struggle to see the positive in negative situations a...

      Guillaume Apollinaire  was a french poet and writer who was born in 1880. He  was quoted as saying, "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy ." What do I need and want in the 21st century to be happy ? Quite often, I think to myself that my life would be much better if I could just win the lottery and have more money. More money to  travel, to have money in the bank, to wear the latest styles and buy the latest technological gadgets and gizmos.   Would all of that  make me happy? Perhaps, or perhaps I would just keep wanting more and more, never quite feeling that elusive feeling of happiness that I am seeking. I can justify that having more money would give me security in the future, but there is no guarantee that I will be here "in the future". Or I could explain that then I can give my children more, but sometimes those given money without working for it, never feel the pride and sense of self t...

       "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower."                                                                      -Albert Camus      What does Albert Camus mean by this quote? Flowers are perceived to be beautiful, therefore my simplified interpretation would be that the color changes of the leaves in the fall are as the flowers are in the spring. Spring is thought of as a renewal and rebirth of nature; whereas Autumn is a breaking down and preparation for the dark, cold winter.  To look deeper into the comparisons to life,  t here are different seasons in one's lives as there are changes of seasons in weather, although not near as predictable. There are the wonderful times in life when everything is new and fresh and life is pa...

      "You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers . You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions ," as said by Nagie Manfouz. I enjoy talking to other people; I even love sharing my words , thoughts and ideas, as you can tell by my blogs and books. I was the first person in my family to graduate from college with a Bachelor's Degree, so I have always placed a high value on receiving an Education.    Reading fiction books as well as non-fiction books aid in my fondness for continual learning about myself and others.  I pride myself on being a good listener, yet I have never thought of the value of asking questions nor the importance of the type of questions to ask . Coincidentally, my daughter, Sydney, was working on an assignment Tuesday night for her Honors English Class that entailed writing two-three questions that could be offered on an AP test. As we were discussing how this assignment aids in the development of a persons criti...

   "You are a powerful spirit that has come to earth to learn."                                                              - Gary Zukav in Seat of the Soul             If you believe this quote as I do, then you must spend time alone to hear the yearnings of your soul , to understand all that you are here to learn.  Your inner being or soul speaks to you through feelings and emotions. We sometimes get lost in our heads, trying to think or reason our way out of a problem. I think that is important to do when confronted with a problem or decision, but some time should be spent not thinking, just quieting your mind. I have read that our minds are a person's personality talking whereas your soul speaks to you in those moments you stop the thoughts of your mind. I have tried medita...

     Ralph Waldo Emerson was quoted as saying, "Earth laughs in flowers." My sister, Amy, and I went hiking yesterday at Crabtree Nature Center in Barrington Hills. As we walked, I took picture after picture of all of the beauty that I saw. I have lived in this area for 12 years and never even knew that this place was nearby. I am grateful that others before me had the wisdom to preserve these parts of our planet for us and for future generations to enjoy. People blame others for the destructive of our planet. They accuse construction companies for all of the new buildings and the clearing away of the trees or condemn big businesses for the destruction of our ozone layer with pollution. It is easy to cast blame on others, but what is our role in taking care of our planet Earth? We can be involved in our government if we choose, but we can also use these forest preserves and nature centers that were kept for us. It was a beautiful day, and many schools had the...

     Carl Reiner's quote is, "The absolute truth is the thing that makes people laugh." He is a comedian, writer, actor and Emmy winner. Humor is interjected into some of the more difficult situations in television shows, movies and books. Those are the ones that I can relate to because even as I cry, I can also laugh. I laugh with, not at, the mistakes of others. I smile as a way of understanding, sharing and connecting because we all have hardships and struggles in our lives. My first fiction book that I am writing  Riding Waves is about a young woman trying to find her way in life, balancing her needs with the challenges of a new relationship. It has dark moments, but even during those times, there is humor. There is laughter to her story just like in life. Often while sharing a story with someone about something bad that happened to me, I instantly feel better and can even begin to see the humor. Sometimes when the day just keeps getting wor...

         There is much talk about the passion or lack of it in a relationship, yet passion is a feeling that we can have in all areas of our lives like my quote says. There was a time many years ago that I lost all passion for life. I was not running, nor painting or even reading books which are all things that I love to do. I did not hate life, yet I was very indifferent. I had little interest in anything. I made myself start to do things that I use to enjoy and was able to connect with the passion inside of me. I am not sure if the feeling of passion towards a person, object or activity is innate or chosen, all I know is that passion needs to be stroked to flame strong. I am watching the runners in the Chicago Marathon today, and it makes me want to go for a run. I read the Chicago Tribune Newspaper, and it makes me want to write stories that others will read. Find something that speaks to you then develop and encourage those feeling. Indiff...

                                       How do you approach life? My quote today asks if you take chances or do you play it safe? If you are like me, some areas of my life I play it safe whereas others times I do take chances. I am pretty safe in my parenting choices, my career path and my financial decisions. Traveling is the one area that I love to take chances in. My daughters and I have went on short trips over their spring breaks, and I think that it even surprises them when I say that we have a destination but we will "fly by the seat of our pants" to arrive there. I love that feeling of freedom.  My dream would be to just get in the car and drive with a vague destination like California or Yellowstone in mind. I would drive until I see something that interests me and stop. I have a deep yearning to see the world, and would want the freedom to explore it all. I almo...

        Today's positive quotation by Paul Klee states, "A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller." Sometimes it feels like there is not enough time in a day, in a week, in a month or even in a year to make a difference. I have work, family and other  responsibilities that drain my energy and use up my time, but all it takes is one moment. Whether it is asking the cashier at the store how his or her day is, helping a neighbor with their garbage cans or just telling your loved ones how much they mean to us, we can do one thing that matters . I have seen people talk on their cell phones the whole time a cashier rings them up instead of treating them like a person. It doesn't have to be some big event or grand gesture to do something nice for someone else. Think of one thing that you can do today and then do it. Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com

        The quote by Will Rogers states, "Even if you are on the right track , you will get run over if you just sit there." Although you might not get run over, you also won't achieve your goals if you don't move. When I started this blog 39 days ago, I wrote down 3 goals that I wanted to achieve.  They were, in short: 1. Write and publish a fiction book 2. Travel and hike 3. Inspire and mentor/teach others I have written 35,000 words of Riding Waves , and Jim and I are thinking about planning a trip to the Grand Canyon next summer. Hopefully, I am inspiring some people that read my words and see my quotes ; plus I am training other infant teachers for Bright Horizons Family Solutions, so I believe that I am at least on the right track . Now what? How do I make sure that I am moving forward? I know that wishing won't make my goals happen so I need to set some smaller goals and put some time constraints so that I can measure my success and make sur...

        Today's Positive Quotation topic is "Breaking someone's spirit". Linda Picone states that words are such powerful weapons, but I will take it one step further and say that thoughts are just as powerful. Most of the spiritual books that I read discuss how powerful one's thoughts and intentions are. They claim that people create their experience of the world based on how you think about it. There are countless songs like the one by Sister Hazel that sing, "If you want to be somebody else, change your mind." Not change your circumstance, not change your words and not change someone else. Even in the movie "Don Jon" that I saw today, his love interest was trying to change him. Relationships can indeed be the catalyst for change, but the decision, the intention, the thought must come from within that person. We all know that hitting someone and calling names can hurt, but intentions and thoughts can hurt others as well as ourselves. When ...

           Today's post in The Book of Positive Quotations quotes Charles De Gaulle as saying," Faced with crisis, the man of character falls back on himself. He imposes his own stamp of action, takes responsibility for it, makes it his own". After reading this, my first thought is that it is wrong, that people need others in times of crisis. How is it that to be a "person of character" one must handle it alone? After much contemplation, I have come to realize that although you can rely on family and friends to help you through a crisis, only you can truly understand what you feel and what would be the best response. A person's reaction could be talking it over with friends, accepting help from family members, but those responses still fall back on oneself. One must, on their own, accept the help if they choose after thought and consideration. My choice would be to read book after book about our soul and our purpose for living as a means of facing...

         What did Hermann Hesse mean by the quote, "Knowledge can be communicated but not wisdom"? Knowledge is facts, information and skills that a person can acquire from experience, and the definition of wisdom is the quality of having knowledge and experience. At first glance they do not seem that different, but as you break the definitions down you realize that others can teach you knowledge through their words and their actions. Wisdom seems to be your own interpretation of the knowledge that you are exposed to. It is your thoughts, feelings and responses to all that you learn, situations that you are in and circumstances that you encounter. Intelligence is a trait that most people are in awe of, but in many ways that is a talent or a God given gift. One's ability to learn knowledge is determined by drive and ability, yet wisdom is limitless. All people possess an infinite ability to gain wisdom from the life they are living. Read my words and see my...

          When faced with conflict, many people choose to stay neutral and not get involved. In my life when their has been disagreements among family, friends or at work, I have tried to stay out of it so that others do not get mad at me. I have realized though that not choosing sides does not prevent the issue from affecting my life. In addition, since I do not like conflict and have always abhorred fighting, I will push my own feelings down. That choice usually backfires as well, when my feelings come out with too much emotion at a later date. As I get older, I have come to realize that there are times that I must make a stand or pick a side. I just need to learn how to do that in the moment. Over the next year one of my goals is to make changes in how I live my life. One of those changes is that I choose to express my beliefs with love and consideration. Read my words and see my quotes at http://susanmarieschulhof.blogspot.com